By Canadian Press

Feds file notice of back-to-work bill ahead of looming Montreal dockworkers strike

Apr 25, 2021 | 2:50 PM

MONTREAL — The federal government has given notice that it will table back-to-work legislation ahead of a looming dockworkers’ strike at Montreal’s port that threatens to have widespread economic repercussions across the country.

Labour Minister Filomena Tassi says on Twitter that forcing the resumption of operations at the Port of Montreal is the government’s “least favoured option,” but there is a responsibility to prevent serious national economic harm.

While the notice paper is dated for Monday, a spokesman for Tassi says the legislation won’t come before the House until at least Tuesday and could be shelved altogether if the dockworker’s union and the Maritime Employers Association reach a deal before then.

More than 1,000 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal are scheduled to go on strike on Monday morning in a move that the port authority says will mean a total shutdown of all operations.

The workers, who have been without a contract since December 2018, have been on an overtime strike since April 17 and have refused to work weekends since April 18. 

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A spokesperson for the union said it was aware of the pending legislation but that as of Sunday afternoon the strike was still going ahead.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2021

The Canadian Press